London AI start-ups bid for Khan’s cash at City Hall

The Mayor of London wants to find an AI start-up that can help solve the problems facing London’s public sector.

As part of London’s TechInvest programme, Sadiq Khan will host the search event at City Hall for 10 start-ups, who are all looking for cash investment from the government. The aim of the event is to bring the best AI start-ups to the forefront of investors’ radars, in the hope of furthering and developing original ideas.

The 10 entrepreneurs competing for the investment have been selected by expert judges before qualifying to attend the event this evening. Each start-up uses the benefits of AI and machine learning to develop and deploy innovative solutions to key challenges London is facing, across transport, finance and health and social care.

Each start-up covers a different area such as improve skin care diagnosis, open access to insurance markets or revolutionising social care industries.

Co-Lead for Ethics and Society at DeepMind, Verity Harding said: “Initiatives like the Mayor of London’s AI TechInvest event – that support investment in innovation and big ideas – will help keep London and the UK at the forefront of the development and deployment of what is likely to become one of the most important industries of the 21st century.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London is home to Europe’s leading tech ecosystem and some of the brightest and most innovative entrepreneurs in the world. In particular, we are establishing ourselves as world leaders in artificial intelligence, which we celebrate today.

“These events will showcase the fantastic creativity of London’s tech community and will enable entrepreneurs to connect with leading investors. I’m confident that this programme will help even more companies to realise their potential to grow and develop.”

Furthermore, it aims to showcase the potential of AI and the technology’s ability to solve real world problems that have struggled to be solved before.

Co-Lead for Ethics and Society at DeepMind, Verity Harding said: “Initiatives like the Mayor of London’s AI TechInvest event – that support investment in innovation and big ideas – will help keep London and the UK at the forefront of the development and deployment of what is likely to become one of the most important industries of the 21st century.

“Tonight’s event is an exciting showcase of the promising potential of AI, and it’s great to see so many of the entrepreneurs applying AI to tackle real-world problems.”

Following tonight’s event, future events in the series of the TechInvest programme are to take place across London. Each event aims to bring together investors and companies specialising in other areas within the Capital’s technology sector, such as virtual reality and Government Technology.